Planter.



No. 783,374. PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

G. P. A. PRIBERG.

PLANTER. APPLIOATION TILED Am. 30, 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

C. P. A. FRIBERG.

PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

'0. P. A. FRIBERG.

PLANTER.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 30, 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Ina 19???? c, f? a,

No. 783,374:- PATENT ED FEB. 21, 1905.

G. P. A. FRIBERG. V Q

PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1904.-

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES Patented February 21, 1905.

PATENT OFFTCE.

PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,374, dated February21, 1905.

Application filed August 30, 1904:. Serial No. 222,716.

To all 1417mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. A. FRIBERG, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Mo'- line, county of Rock Island, State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Planters; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to that class of machines that are adapted toplant either corn or cotton and are convertible from one kind of work tothe other without change in any of the parts except the substitution ofthe appropriate seed-dropping devices.

The novel featuresof the invention are confined to the manner ofmounting and operating the opener, the seedbox, the seed-spout shovel,and the covering-hoes. The seed-dropping devices and their drivingmechanism (except a certain arrangement hereinafter described forthrowing them out of operation) are old and well known.

According to the present invention the front middle sweep or opener, theseedbox, its spout and shovel, and the rear covering-hoes are allmounted on a frame that is supplemental to the main frame of the machineand may be raised or lowered bodily, so as to vary the depth to whichall the working parts enter the ground, and which may also be tilted ina fore-and-aft vertical plane, so as to allow considerable range ofvariation in the depth of cut of the front sweep, or middle breaker, asit is called, without materially altering the vertical position or depthof cut of the seed-spout shovel and the covering-hoes. This supplementalframe is suspended from a wheel-frame that has a rigid tongue and iscontrolled by ad justing-levers that are adapted to be locked, so as toset the frame higher or lower, and the draft devices are connected tothe front end of the supplemental frame. The adjusting-lever, whichraises and lowers the frame bodily, may be thrown out of action. so asto allow the frame to rest normally on the ground and to have a floatingaction when in operation, due to the team drawing upon it.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein-Figure 1 shows the entire machine in plan. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe machine, the supplemental frame being shown tilted to differentpositions in dotted lines. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively side and rearedge views showing parts of the levers for raising and lowering theframe and tilting it as above described. Fig. 5 is a detail in plan ofthe arrangement for throwing out of operation the seed-dropping deviceswhen the supplemental frame reaches the limit of its upward adjustment.Fig. 6 is a detail view of the same parts looking from the front of themachine. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the main and supplementalframes of the machine in side elevation, so as to better illustrate theadjustments of the supplemental frame. Fig. 8 is a detail view of one ofthe side bars which connect the supplemental and main frames; and Fig. 9is a rear view of the machine, intended more particularly to show themanner of connecting these side bars to the two frames.

Referring to the views, adenotes-the wheelframe. It is composed of sidebars and has a front extension (0, to which the tongue 7) is rigidlysecured, and a rear extension (6 to which the seat-spring c isconnected. Depending from this frame on each side are vertical standards(Z, that are rigidly secured at their lower ends to sleeve-castings eand are braced by diagonal braces e. The axle f of the supporting-wheelsg is journaled in these castings e, and the standards are preferablycontinuous with a cross-bar it, which extends between the side bars andunder which the front end of the seat-spring c is secured and to theupper side of which a rack c is fastened, to which are pivoted thelevers for vertically adjusting and tilting the supplemental frame. Thiswheelframe is rigid with the tongue and axle supports and constitutesthe main frame of the machine. The supplemental frame Z consists of sidebars, a front extension Z to which the draft device Z is connected, andrear end bars Z.

The seed-hopper m, which is of the usual construction, is mounted uponthis supple-- mental frame in fixed position, being rigidly securedthereto by brackets a. As here shown, the hopper is provided with theusual toothed stirrer-plate for planting cotton, and this plate isoperated from a shaft g, which is journaled in vertical standards 0,rising from the side bars of the supplemental frame, the,

The rack 71, before referred to, is located in the center line of themachine in front of the drivers seat. There is pivoted to it at w ahand-lever a, and from a point on the handlever above its pivot extenddiagonally downward and forward two supporting-links I), one on eachside, which connect with the sup plemental frame by being pivotallyattached at their lower ends to the upper ends of the standards 0", thatare secured to the side bars of the frame. The rack t' has a notchedsegment Z formed on it, and the hand-lever a is provided with a pivotedlatch c at its upper end and a locking-rod 0Z which engages in the usualway with the notches of the segment Z so as to lock the lever a indifferent positions, as indicated in Figs. 2, 3, and 7. The rack c' hasalso pivoted to it at the point an a short lever f, and from the frontend of this lever a pair of supporting-links g extend downward and arepivotally connected at r? to the side bars'of the supplemental frame.The lever f has a curved barn, extending upwardly and rearwardly fromits outer end and passing through a keeper 12 secured to theleft-handside of hand-lever a. The bar n is provided with notches If,like the segment of the rack 'Z, and the handlever a has aspring-pressed latch s, pivoted to the keeper p and having its lower'endpassing through aslot in the keeper and engaging the notches Z of thebar so as to lock the lever f in different positions of adjustmentrelatively to the lever to. A handhold (Z5 is provided on the curved bara to enable the driver to raise and lower the lever f inde pendently ofthe hand-lever a.

The purpose of the lever (Z4 is to raise and lower the supplementalframe bodily, and it is to be noted in this connection that thestandards 1", to which the supporting-links b are connected, are locatedat the center of weight of the supplemental frame and its supportedparts, so that in lifting the frame by the lever a there will be notendency to tilt the frame.

In the raising and lowering of the frame the lever f of course moveswith the lever a, and the links 57*, which extend from the front end ofthe lever f" downward to the supplemental frame, serve to prevent theframe from tilting as it moves up and down and preserve its horizontalposition during its various vertical adjustments.

The purpose of the lever f is primarily, however, to effect the tiltingof the supplemental frame in the manner indicated in dotted lines .inFig. 2. The dual capacity of the lever f and links 9 to act as a guideand controller for the supplemental frame as it is vertically adjustedand also as an independent tilting adjustment for the frame is due toits capacity for independent or concurrent adjustment with the raisingand lowering lever a, and it is to be noted in this respect that nomatter what the position of the lever a or the elevation of thesupplemental frame may be the lever f may be operated to the fullextent, so as to effect whatever tilting of the frame it is desired toaccomplish.

The seed-hopper, as before described, is mounted in fixed position onthe supplemental frame, and the frame also carries the sweep bconstituting the middle breaker or front opener, as it is frequentlycalled. This sweep is adjustably connected to an arm 0, which is pivotedto the lower arm Z of a gooseneck that is clamped between the frontextensions Z of the supplemental frame and has its upper end Z carriedforward and then vertically up through a slot Z in the tongue. The end Zplays loosely in the slot and has a plate it slipped over its upper end,with a cotter Z above it to limit the downward movement of the front endof the frame Z.

It is very desirable that the front opener should be adjustable inposition independently of the vertical elevation or the inclinedposition of the supplemental frame, so that the suction of the sweep maybe regulated as the condition of the ground'requires. For this purposethe arm 0 is pivoted at c to the arm Z by a bolt-and-slot connection fwith a bolt g, by means of which the inclination of the arm 0 and thesuction of the sweep may be varied as circumstances require.

The seed-spout it is mounted in the usual position and is braced fromthe supplemental frame by the diagonal brace e, that is secured at itsother end to the bar Z by the same bolt 9 that adjusts the sweep-arm c.It has upon its lower end the usual shovel Z.

At the rear of the seed-spout and in the usual position with respect toits shovel are the covering-hoes 72 They are adjustably secured to barsZ, which curve rearwardly and downwardly from the side bars Z of thesupplemental frame.

As thus far described, it will be understood that the supplemental frameis entirely supported from the main frame by means of the links f and gFor the purpose, however, of further strengthening the support, andparticularly to steady it against lateral strains, it is connected tothe main frame by side bars .9. These bars are shaped as shown in Fig.8, with their ends bent at right angles to the body portion in oppositedirections. The front ends of the bars are connected with the standardsr at each side of the supplemental frame at the point x, and at theirrear ends they are connected to the lower end of the standards (Z at 1The ends of the bars being pivotally connected to the respective partsand the points to which their rear ends are connected being considerablyfarther apart than the standards 7, thereby spraddling the rear ends ofthe bars, they serve to very considerably stiffen the shovel-carryingframe and hold it against sidewise strains and tendency to lateraldisplacement.

As before described, the draft of the team is connected to the front endof the supplemental frame instead of to the tongue or wheel frame. Thisconnection is made by the clevis l, attached to the gooseneck at a, asshown in Fig. 2, and the devices for locking the raising and loweringlever are adapted to be thrown out of operation and locked, so that thesupplemental frame may be allowed to rest with its own weight upon theground and to float therealong under the action of the draft of theteam. I For this purpose the upper end of the lever a is provided with apivoted link or bar a which is adapted to catch over the upper end ofthe latch c and hold the locking-rod Z* out of engagement with thenotches of the segment When thus adjusted, the supplemental frame andthe opening and covering hoes carried thereby are free to rise and fall,and the lever f being locked to the raising and lowering lever a theslight up-and-down movement of the frame in operation would remainhorizontal.

It is to be noted in respect to the tilting movement of the supplementalframe that the shaft q forms the center around which this movement iseffected, this being due to the pivotal points of connection between theframe and the supporting-links b and 9* and the bars s, and the locationof this tilting point in the center of the frame immediately above theseed-spout shovels allows the frame to be tilted either up or down withthe least possible variation in the vertical position of the shovels Z.This will be readily understood on reference to Figs. 2 and 7, where itwill be seen that owing to the greater distance of the front opener I)from the vertical plane of the frames pivot than the seed-spout shovel Zthe opener will move when the frame is tilted a distance greatly inexcess of that of the spout-shovel. It will also be noted that thecovering-shovels are located much nearer the plane of the pivotal lineof the frame than the front opener and that consequently when the frameis tilted these covering-hoes also have an inconsiderable verticalelevation compared with that of the front opener.

droppingdevices should be discontinued when the supplemental frame israised to its highest point, and the invention contemplates theautomatic disconnection of the shaft g from its driving-sprocket pinionu in the following manner: The pinion, as before described, is looselymounted on the shaft; but it has a hub 10' with clutch-teeth on it, andthe spring 0; tends to force the pinion along the shaft so that theteeth of its hub will engage a pin 71 in the shaft and lock the pinionto the shaft. The driving-pinion a is on the end of the shaft outside ofthestandard 9', and an automatic shipper is located between the pinionand a spool or cone 8 on the shaft, so that when the frame is raised toits highest point it will disconnect the clutch-hub of the-pinion fromthe pin in the shaft and permit the seed-dropping devices to discontinuetheir operation. This shipper consists of a bar (0*, that is pivoted atits rear end to the brace e and extends downwardly and forwardly and hasa slotted yoke 6 at its forward end that straddles the shaft. The yokehas a cam 7) of sufficient width to separate the pinion from the pin 14In the vertical adjustment of the supplemental frame the distancebetween the pivot of the bar e and the pinion u diminishes; but the camU is located on the bar, so that the rising of the frame will not causethe pinion to be disconnected from the shaft until the upward limit ofthe frames movement has been reached. In this manner the disconnectionof the dropping devices is made entirely automatic, and the spring ocauses the reengagement of the driving-pinion with the shaft as soon asthe frame has been lowered sufficiently to withdraw the cam 6 frombetween the pinion and the cone 0'. As the frame rises the chain .9 willbe slackened somewhat, and in order to keep it at a uniform tension anautomatic tightener is provided. This consists of a bell-crank lever 0which is pivoted to the brace e and has its longer arm bearing down uponthe upper ply of the chain and its shorter arm connected by a spring ato some point forward of the arm, preferably to the shipper-bar a Thespring causes the long arm of the tightener to bear constantly upon thechain, and as the supplemental frame is raised this movement tightensthe spring and causes it to take up whatever slack there may be producedin the chain in consequence of the upward movement of the shaft 9.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a wheeledplanter, the combination of the main frame, a tongue rigidly connectedthereto, and a supplemental frame suspended from the main frame andcarrying the seedspout and shovel, the front sweep or opener, and thecovering-hoes, the frame being ad justable bodily to differentelevations.

2. In a wheeled planter, the combination of It is desirable that themotion of the seed- 1 the main frame, having a rigid tongue, a sup- TIOplemental hoe and shovel carrying frame, suspended therefrom, means forraising and lowering the supplemental frame, and means for preservingthe horizontal position of the frame.

3. In a wheeled planter, the combination of the main frame having arigid tongue. a supplemental hoe and shovel carrying frame, suspendedtherefrom, means for adjusting bodily the vertical position of thesupplemental frame, and means for tilting said frame to differentinclinations on a transverse axis in its various vertical adjustments.

4. In a wheeled planter, the combination of the main frame having arigid tongue, a supplemental frame suspended therefrom and carrying theseed-spout shovel, the front sweep or opener, and the covering-hoes, adraft connection at the front end of the supplemental frame, and meansfor locking the frame in a given position or releasing it and allowingit to float in operation.

5. In a Wheeled planter, the combination of the main frame having arigid tongue, a supplemental frame suspended therefrom and carrying afront sweep or opener, means for tilting the frame on a transverse axis,and means for adjusting the inclination of the sweepindependently of theadjustments of the frame.

6. In a wheeled planter, the combination of the main frame having arigid tongue, a supplementalframe pivotally connected with the mainframe on a transverse axis, said supplemental frame carrying aseed-spout and shovel in substantially the vertical plane of the framesaxis, and a sweep or opener in front of the spout, and covering-hoes inrear thereof.

7. In a Wheeled planter, the combination of the main frame,asupplemental hoe and shovel carrying frame, a seed hopper and droppingmechanism carried by said supplemental frame, means for raising andlowering the supplemental frame, means for driving the droppingmechanism from the axle of the machine in the different adjustments ofthe frame, and means for, throwing the dropping mechanism out ofoperation at a given point in the elevation of the frame.

8. In a wheeled planter, the combination of the main frame, asupplemental hoe and shovel carrying frame, a seed hopper and droppingmechanism carried by said supplemental frame, means for raising andlowering the supplemental frame, a transverse droppershaft journaled inthe supplemental frame, a sprocket-wheel fast on the machine-axle, asprocket-pinion loose on the dropper-shaft but held normally clutchedthereto, a chain driving the pinion from the wheel on the axle, and ashipper-bar a having a cam-shaped front end 5 for unclutching thedropper-shaft pinion when the frame reaches its highest elevation.

9. In a wheeled planter, the combination of the main frame, asupplemental hoe and shovel carrying frame, a seed hopper and droppingmechanism carried by said supplemental frame, means for raising andlowering the supplemental frame, a transverse droppershaft journaledinthe supplemental frame, a sprocket-wheel fast on the machine-axle, asprocket-pinion on the dropper-shaft driven by a chain from the Wheel onthe axle, and a spring-held tightener bearing on the chain and servingto keep it at a uniform tension in the various adjustments of the frame.

10. In a wheeled planter, the combination of the main frame, asupplemental hoe and shovel carrying frame suspended from the mainframe, and horizontal bars .9 pivotally connecting the supplementalframe at the sides with the main frame, said bars serving to brace thesupplemental frame against lateral strains.

11. In a wheeled planter, the combination of the main frame, asupplemental hoe and shovel carrying frame, an adjusting-lever mountedon the main frame and connected by pivoted links 6 ,17 with thesupplemental frame at substantially the center of its length, a tiltinglever also mounted on the main frame, pivoted links 9, g connecting thetilting lever with the rear part of the supplemental frame, and meansfor locking the adjusting and tilting levers together so as to raise orlower the supplemental frame bodily, the tilting lever being operatableindependently of the adjusting lever to tilt the supplemental frame.

x 12. In a Wheeled planter, the combination of the main frame, asupplemental hoe and shovel carrying frame, a raising and lowering levera" connected by pivoted links If, I)" with the supplemental frame atsubstantially the center of its length, a tilting lever f connected tothe rear part of the supplemental frame pivoted links g*, g*, a notchedsegment 2' on the main frame to which the raising and lowering lever maybe locked in different positions, and a notched segment a on the tiltinglever, the segment at having an adjustable locking connection with theraising and lowering lever, and both levers being pivoted on the mainframe on the same axis.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES P. A. FRIBERG.

Witnesses:

N. GALVIN, N. A. PETERSON.

